John james varley



(No Model.) I 2 SheetsSheet 1.

. J. J. VARLEY. MACHINE FOR FILLING BOTTLES CLOSED BY SCREW STOPPERS.

No. 508,357. Patented Nov. 7, 1893.

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| NOGHAFHING COMPANY wnsmrlmon'ne c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. J. VARLBY.

MACHINE FOR FILLING BOTTLES CLOSED BY SGREW STOPPERS. No. 508,357. Patented Nov. 7, 1893.

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UNITED. STATES PAT T O FICE.

JOHN JAMES VARLEY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR FILLING BOTTLES CLOSED BY SCREW-STOPPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,357, dated November '7, 1893.

Application filed March 1, 1893.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN JAMES VARLEY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Merton, London, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Connected with Machines for Filling Bottles Closed by Screw- Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for filling screw-mouthed bottles with aerated or gaseous liquids and for closing the stoppers thereof, the improvements having mainly for object to facilitate the placing of the stoppers in the machine. Hitherto in such machines it has been necessary to pass the stopper up through an opening in the cup of the machine which has been found to be inconvenient but by my improvements the stopper can be placed in the machine from the top as in an ordinary corking machine, thereby effecting a considerable saving of time.

In carrying out my invention I employ a key adapted to turn the stopper, such key Working in the upper part of the framing of the machine. The mouth of the bottle to be filled is placed in the under-part of the chamber provided with the filling and snifting valves. This chamber is formed in a crosshead which is movable, and in the upper part of the chamber is a seating through which the stem of the stopper can be freely passed. The stopper having been passed through the said seating the cross-head is moved upward so as to bring the head of the stopper against the key, the seating forming a tight joint between the stopper and the valve-chamber. The bottle is now filled and snifted, the stopper is screwed by the key into the mouthof the bottle, forcing the head through the seating, and the bottle being released is removed and the cross-head falls ready for a fresh stopper to be placed in the seating of the chamber. The spindle of the key is provided with suitable means such as a spring-friction clutch to automatically disconnect the handle from the key when the stopper is screwed home. In some cases the spindle is formed with a screw-thread corresponding with the screw thread on the stopper. In place of employing a seating as above named the stopper may be supported in the valve-chamber Serial No. 464,250. (No model.)

by any other suitable means, in which case the head of the stopper would have to be inclosed to prevent the escape of the liquor during the filling and, closing operations.

In order to enable the invention to be fully understood, I will describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front sectional elevation of a bottling machine constructed according to my invention and showing a bottle in position ready to be filled and closed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively horizontal sections on the lines 33 and 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig.5 is adetached view showing the stopper in its closed position. Figs. 6 and 7 are an elevation and a plan respectively of the stopper; and Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively a vertical section and a part plan of a modification.

In the machine illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, Ct represents the upper part of the framing a of the machine in which turns the spindle b of the key I).

c is the cross-head containing the filling chamber (1 having openings eandf, the opening 6 communicating with the filling valve 9 and the opening f with the snifting valve h.

The cross-head 0 can be moved up and down on the guides '11, 'i fixed to the frame of the machine, the full lines (Fig. 1) showing it in its raised position while the dotted lines show it in its lowered position.

j is'the seating in the upper part of thechamber e, the said seating consisting of a ring or washer of suitable elastic material such as india-rubber, the central hole being just large enough to allow the stem of the stopper to be passed freely therethrough.

kisascrew-mouthed bottle of ordinary construction, the bottom thereof resting on the block or carrier Z which is adapted to be moved up and down by means of the treadle m in the usual manner.

it is a seating at the lower part of the chamber cl against which the mouth of the bottle is held during the filling operation.

o and p are the usual levers for operating the filling and snifting valves.

q bis the handle for turning-the key-spindle r is a friction-clutch on the key-spindle,

and s the spring of the same. The said clutch consists of two parts 0", T the part 0" being connected to or formed on the spindle b and provided with a notch r while the part r forms the boss of the handle q and is provided with a tooth r entering the notch r and with a recess 0' containing the spring 8, the pressure of the said spring being adjusted by the nut r screwed on the spindle h.

tis the stopper (shown in detached views at Figs. 6 and 7) the head of the said stopper being provided with holes or depressions u, 11. adapted to receive pins or studs 11, v on the under side of the key Z).

The operation of the machine is asfollowsz- A stopper being passed through the seating j so that its head rests thereon, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, a bottle 70 is placed on the block or carrier 1 and is moved upward by depressing the treadle m so as to bringits mouth against the seating n in the usual manner and at the same time raise the cross-head a so as to bring the head of the stopper into engagement with the key 1) whereby the stopper will be pressed.

against the said seating so as to form a tight joint. The filling valvegis now opened and the bottle filled and then snifted by opening the valve h when the key I) is pressed downward and at the same time rotated byits handle q so as to force the head of the stopper through the seating j and screw it into the mouth of the bottle, as clearly shown in Fig. 5; the treadle m being released the bottle with the cross-head 0 will move downward and the bottle can be removed ready for another one to be placed in position.

The object of the spring-friction clutch n is to prevent the stopper being too tightly screwed into the mouth of the bottle the tooth 7' (when the stopper is screwed down tightly) riding up out of the notch r allowing the handle q to be rotated independently of the spindle b.

Instead of moving the key downward by hand as hereinbefore described I sometimes arrange to screw it down, and for this purpose I form the spindle b with a thread corresponding with the screw-thread on the stopper, the

screw-thread of the spindle working in a female screw in the upper part a of the frame.

In the modification of the machine represented in Figs. 8 and 9 the construction is substantially the same as that hereinbefore described except that instead of supporting the stopper by means of an elastic seating in the chamber d it is supported on the springs 10; in which case the joint is formed by a downwardly projecting rim w on the upper part a of the frame pressing against an elastic seating y in the chamber 61, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. In this case the stem 11 of the key b works through astufling-boxz; the operation is otherwise the same as that hereinbefore described.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In a machine for filling bottles, a cross head having a filling chamber open at both ends, means for clamping the open mouth of the bottle at thelowerend,an annular flexible flange at the upper end of the chamber pro viding a yielding support for the stopper, and means for forcing the stopper through said annular flange, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for filling and corkingbottles a cross head having a filling chamber open at both ends, with thelower end adapted to receive the open mouth of the bottle and the upper opening corresponding in diameter to the head of the stopper, an annular flexible flange projecting from the wall of the chamber providing a yielding support for the stopper, said chamber being enlarged below the flange to permit the same to yield inwardly and a plunger for forcing the stopper through said support and chamber, substantially as described.

JOHN JAMES VARLEY.

Witnesses:

G. F. REDFERN, JOHN E. BOUSFIELD, Of the firm of G. F. Redfern 6% 00., 4 South Street, Finsbury, London, Patent Agents. 

